Check out an interview with the book’s author

The Paraná Section of the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel-PR) launched on November 20th the 17th edition of the book “O Segredo dos Chefes”. This time, the theme is “Sustainable Paths of Paraná”. Written by journalist and columnist for Good Gourmet Jussara Voss, the book brings together stories, recipes and, this year, highlights restaurants dedicated to sustainability.

In the publication, Jussara presents the narratives of the establishments that participated in the Brasil Sabor Festival and the Foz de Iguaçu Gastronomic Circuit, held in May and July by the entity. There are 29 establishments from five different cities in Paraná: Curitiba, Foz do Iguaçu, Londrina, Paranaguá and Ponta Grossa. Each chapter culturally portrays the region and includes recipes for the festival’s dishes, as well as covering the efforts of these restaurants to promote a more sustainable state.

In an interview with Good Gourmet, Jussara talked about the research and development process of “Caminhos Sustentáveis ​​do Paraná”. The journalist also spoke a little more about expectations regarding the application of environmental sustainability actions in gastronomy businesses. Check out!

What was it like diving into the world of sustainability and seeing how it relates to gastronomy?

It was a beautiful and scary dive. Beautiful because there are a lot of good things being done, scary because we are on the verge of collapse. I can’t even say for sure when I saw the relationship between sustainability and gastronomy. Discussions about the problems and challenges of food have been appearing at international conferences or here for a long time, such as the Fru.to Seminar, promoted by chef Alex Atala, for example. Food and the environment, recycling, composting, waste, recovery of production spaces, proper disposal, among other topics have become part of our lives.

After providing this overview of Paraná’s restaurants, what can you say in general about the relationship between our gastronomy professionals and this urgent issue of environmental sustainability?

When a problem arises that needs to be solved, some people are hooked first and they are the ones who will pull others in and promote awareness about the need to change. It is natural that some professionals in the field stand out, such as Vaneska Berçani (Mezmiz) and Gabriela Carvalho (Quintana), in Curitiba, and Cristina Muggiati (Oficina do Sorvete) and Micheli Cerutti (Pátio Pomare) in Foz do Iguaçu, for example, mentioning just these four women, but there are many other professionals. The board of directors of Abrasel/Paraná and its advisors, who decided to create this special edition of the book Segredos dos Chefs, take a very important step highlighting the topic.

And how can we be more sustainable in our lives, as customers and also as consumers in our homes?

It’s difficult to change our habits. We repeat it without thinking because we already have a lot of demands and changing can take a little work at first. We can no longer use plastic bags that are not recyclable, for example. We can take baskets and cloth bags to the supermarket. You can put fruits and vegetables directly in the box without putting them in plastic and after weighing them in the plastic bag, because if we use them the industry continues to produce them. Give preference to seasonal products produced close to home. Compost at home or hire a company to do it. Eat less meat, there is no need to become vegetarian, but at least reduce your consumption. Find out about the environmental, social and governance practices of the companies you consume.